Take a closet off of me: transformation of shame into social resource in Israeli celebrity disclosures

This study examines how Israeli public figures transform shame disclosures on social media into strategic resources for identity construction and audience engagement. Through discursive psychological analysis of 25 posts published on Facebook and Instagram between 2017 and 2025, we identify consistent narrative components and positioning strategies that convert stigmatised experiences into forms of social and material capital. The analysis demonstrates how shame is reconstructed from a debilitating burden into a productive resource through metaphorical framing, temporal anchoring, and purposeful transformation. Strategic positioning practices – including professional identity management, audience engagement, and commercial integration – further this transformation. These disclosures reflect broader cultural trends in ‘emotional capitalism’ where vulnerability becomes valuable when properly framed. By establishing themselves as guides who have overcome stigma, these figures maintain authority while accessing cultural capital associated with authentic disclosure. The findings reveal how digital platforms enable new forms of parasocial relationships where celebrities leverage personal struggle to build community while generating professional opportunities. This research demonstrates how shame functions as social currency in contemporary digital environments, expanding beyond its traditional conceptualisation as primarily private and concealed. This first analysis of Israeli celebrity disclosures contributes to understanding evolving norms around vulnerability, authenticity, and identity in digital culture.